Guillem Balague has revealed that he believes Arsenal have failed to do three things this season which will stop them from winning the Europa League.
The respected journalist was asked which team was mostly likely to win the Europa League out of Atletico Madrid and the Gunners, which led to Balague confidently listing all the reasons why he would back the La Liga side.
“For me, Atletico, Arsenal have failed to impose a style, a winning mentality, a defensive structure well-oiled for the big games,” stated Balague in his Sky Sports Q&A (Friday, 13:16).
“Atletico have got that but there are still two rounds to negotiate!
“In Oblak they have a better goalkeeper, with Gimenez (for me one of top centre backs in the world) and Godin, plus the four centre midfielders (Saul, Koke, Thomas, Gabi), the best Griezmann and a Costa that has fitted in so well again, they are the best team of the competition.”
Balague’s comments show that he believes Arsene Wenger’s side do not have a clear style, nor a winning mentality and questioned the team’s defence when it comes to big games.
Arsene Wenger’s side need to win the competition this season in order to qualify for next year’s Champions League, as they’re currently 12 points off the final qualification spot in the league.
OPINION
Balague is rather harsh with his assessment of Arsenal’s chances of winning the Europa League. Atletico Madrid are an amazing team, there’s no denying that, but the journalist didn’t need to rip Wenger’s side apart. To say that the Gunners haven’t imposed their own style is laughable. Everyone knows the style of football the Gunners play, with them opting to keep the ball on the ground and exchange as many passes as possible. However, Balague may have a point when it comes to questioning the Gunners’ defence in big games this season, as it crumbled in the League Cup final against Manchester City. However any team would struggle to keep Pep Guardiola’s side at bay, so they can’t be written off just because of that.